Image reproducing system

ABSTRACT

An image reproducing system involves regulating the opening area of a nozzle which sprays image generating material in proportion to the density of an image being scanned while concurrently scanning a support with the aforesaid nozzle to generate the image thereon.

United States Patent Miyata et al. Oct. 2, 1973 [54] IMAGE REPRODUCING SYSTEM 2,100,204 11/1937 Shore 346/75 1,765,448 6 1930 R 1 1 346 75 [75] Inventors: Tomiaki Miyata; Kiichiro Sakamoto, 3,134,849 5x964 fs g a1 78/51, A both of Tokyo, Japan 2,253,086 8/1941 Murray et al. l78/5.4

[73] Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.,

Kanagawa Japan Primary Examiner-Richard Murray [22] Filed; O t. 20, 1971 Attorney-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn & Macpeak Appl. No.: 190,867

US. Cl. 178/51 R, 178/66 R Int. Cl. H04n 9/02 Field of Search 178/52 R, 5.2 A,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1960 Hirsch 178/52 A [57] ABSTRACT An image reproducing system involves regulating the opening area of a nozzle which sprays image generating material in proportion to the density of an image being scanned while concurrently scanning a support with the aforesaid nozzle to generate the image thereon.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures IMAGE REPRODUCING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an image reproducing device and, more particularly, to a device which utilizes pigment as image generating material.

2. Description of the prior Art Hitherto, there have been proposed several methods of reproducing or duplicating an image or picture which do not utilize the provision of projecting an image directly by use of an optical system, and they have been put into practical use.

One of the more common systems is constructed so thatan original or master fits around a drum and is rotated together therewith, the original is spot illuminated by appropriate means, resulting reflected or transmitted light is detected by a photosensor and, in turn, its reflection or transmission factor is calculated, then, an appropriate photoelectric transducer circuit provides in response to the calculated factor an appropriate input to a recording member fitting around another drum which rotates in synchronism with the first drum carrying the original.

The input means to the recording member is light, electricity, mechanical force, coloration by means of pigment and the like.

The system which utilizes light as the input to the recording member is called phototelegraphy in which a sensitized substance is exposedin accordance with the strength of the light input and then developed to produce a duplication. This system is most commonly used for telephoto service in the field of newspapers.

Electrical energy is used to prepare a stencil paper in which the lights and shades of the original are converted to a change in voltage which in turn is applied across electrodes to cause discharging therebetween to thereby make holes in the stencil paper interposed between the electrodes.

The input in the form of mechanical force is used in a manner such that a heated needle having a conical top is moved; in accordance with the magnitude of mechanical movement representative of the density of the original, so as to touch a recording member made of thermo-soluble plastics so that when the needle advances a large distance it penetratesdeeply into the recording member to thereby create a large hole, whereas if it advances little, the needle penetrates shallowly to thereby make a small hole, whereby the density of the original is converted to small and large size holes. This reproducing system utilizes the principle to generate mesh points" well known in the field of printing, so that the resulting member can be used directly as a master board for print.

A systemof coloring the recording member by means of pigment can be realized by spraying pigment through I a spray gun onto the recording member. The present invention relates to this system 'of coloring by use of pigment.

- In the prior art, the provision of coloring the recording member by use of pigment was realized by regulating the amount of air to be supplied to the spray gun in accordance with the density of the original to thereby vary the amount of pigment spouting from the gun, whereby the variation in amount of pigment deposited on the recording member corresponds to the lights and shades of the original, resulting in a duplication. In this system, if the frequency (the rate of change) of an electric signal input to the spray gun is increased the rate of change in value of air serving to spray pigment can not follow that frequency, so that the overall frequency characteristic of this system is poor. Thus, the quality of the duplication is not incompatible with efficiency of processing time called for reproduction, and it is expensive to increase the quality of reproduction.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image reproducing device and a specific object of the present invention to provide an image reproducing device which utilizes pigment as an image generating substance.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide an image reproducing device constructed so that the opening area of a pigment spouting nozzle is regulated in accordance with the density of an image to be reproduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an image I reproducing system.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main element of the reproducing system shown in FIG. 1 constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged front views of other embodiments of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, an image reproducing system comprises a drum l for fitting an original 2 there around, an optical illumination system 3, an optical light-receiving systemm 4, a photosensor 5, a power amplifier 6, a drum 7 for fitting a recording member 8 therearound, a nozzle 9 to spray liquid pigment, a regulator 10 for controlling the diameter of the nozzle opening, a liquid pigment container 11, an air emitting port 12, and a drive rail 13. Elements 10, 11 and 12 compose one kind of the spray gun, which is mountedon the drive rail 13 so that it moves progressively along the rail 13 in the lateral direction in response to rotation of the drum 7 supporting the recording member.

Drums 1 and 7 rotate in synchronism with one another and the light emitted from the light source 3 illumintes an incremental minute pointon the original. The resulting reflected or transmitted light enters the photosensor 5 by means of a focusing lens after passing through the optical light-receiving system 4. This photosensor consists of a photoelectric transducer (not shown) such as a photocell or photomultiplier, and generates a power proportional to the density of the original. This power is amplified by the amplifier 6 and then conducted to the regulator 10 for controlling the nozzle opening area to thereby very the opening area in accordance with the density of the original.

FIG. 2 shows the main elements of the system noted above. The liquid pigment supply nozzle 9 contains liquid pigment 14. Electric signals from the amplifier 6 are converted to mechanical movement by a converter 16 to cause a drive rod 17 to move. In response to this movement, a cover of the nozzle moves in the arrowed directions to perform one-dimensional reciprocatory movement.

If the opening area is, for example, made large, that is, if the cover is moved to the right as viewed in the drawing, in response to the density of the original or a portion of the original being high in density, a large amount of liquid pigment is sprayed by a pressure difference caused by the flow of air and deposited on the adjacent recording member, so that a high recording density is generated. That is to say, the opening area is in proportion to the resultant recorded density, thus, the reproduction process can be completed by regulating the extent of movement of the cover.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the regulator for varying the area of the nozzle opening comprising the main element of the present invention. In this embodiment, a liquid pigment supply nozzle 9 the width of which opening varies progressively is disposed in parallel with an air emitting port 12. In the front of the nozzle 9 a cover 15 is disposed which is coupled to adrive rod 17.

According to this arrangement, it is possible to vary the supplied amount of pigment in a logarithmic relationship with respect to the density signal obtained from the original, by modifying the angle of expansion of the opening width of the nozzle 9 and, further, to vary the degree of harmony in the reproduced image or picture. Specifically, if the shape of the opening is made in the form of a wedge and as to have a gradually expanding width, particularly, a logarithmically expanding inclined, width, the frequency characteristic will be imporved even though the amount of movement of the cover 15 is limited small, thus, the degree of clearness of a reproduced image can be remarkably increased.

FIG. 4 shows a regulator for controlling the area of a nozzle opening suitable for reproduction of color image, wherein there are provided, around the opening of an air emitting port 12, a cyan-pigment supplying and regulating member C, a magenta-pigment supplying and regulating member M, a yellow-pigment supplying and regulating member Y, and a black-pigment supplying and regulating member 8. Each of the pigment supplying and regulating members includes a corresponding cover 15 coupled to a corresonding drive rod I7, which cover is disposed in the front of the corresponding pigment supply nozzle 9 and controlled in accordance with a corresponding color strength signal.

As described hereinabove, the present invention is constructed so that the opening area of the nozzle spraying an image generating substance is regulated in accordance with the density of an original, thus, it is remarkably superior in frequency characteristic to the conventional system where the flow rate of air is regulated, and can efficiently produce duplication images which are of high quality.

What is claimed is:

1. In an image reproducing system wherein a reproduction image is generated by photo-electric scanning of an original and spraying an image generating substance by scanning a recording member with an image generating device, the improvement wherein; said image generating device comprises:

at least one liquid pigment supply fluid coupled to a pigment supply nozzle corresponding thereto and facing said recording member,

an air emitting port in juxtaposition to said nozzle for spraying pigment onto said recording member, means for supplying said port with a constant volume air flow, and

means for varying the area of the pigment supply nozzle opening in accordance with the density of the original.

2. The image reproducing device of claim 1, wherein a regulator for varying the area of the nozzle opening includes a cover disposed in the front of the nozzle opening and coupled to a drive rod which is laterally moved in response to the density of the original.

3. The image reproducing device of claim 1, wherein the opening of the nozzle has a progressively expanding width of wedge-like configuration.

4. The image reproducing device of claim 2, wherein the opening of the nozzle is of non-linearly expanding width to form a logarithmically progressively expanding opening.

5. The image reproducing device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of different color image generating substance spraying nozzles are disposed around said air emitting port and each nozzle has a regulator for varying the area of the corresponding nozzle opening to achieve multi-color reproduction of the image. 

1. In an image reproducing system wherein a reproduction image is generated by photo-electric scanning of an original and spraying an image generating substance by scanning a recording member with an image generating device, the improvement wherein; said image generating device comprises: at least one liquid pigment supply fluid coupled to a pigment supply nozzle corresponding thereto and facing said recording member, an air emitting port in juxtaposition to said nozzle for spraying pigment onto said recording member, means for supplying said port with a constant volume air flow, and means for varying the area of the pigment supply nozzle opening in accordance with the density of the original.
 2. The image reproducing device of claim 1, wherein a regulator for varying the area of the nozzle opening includes a cover disposed in the front of the nozzle opening and coupled to a drive rod which is laterally moved in response to the density of the original.
 3. The image reproducing device of claim 1, wherein the opening of the nozzle has a progressively expanding width of wedge-like configuration.
 4. The image reproducing device of claim 2, wherein the opening of the nozzle is of non-linearly expanding width to form a logarithmically progressively expanding opening.
 5. The image reproducing device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of different color image generating substance spraying nozzles are disposed around said air emitting port and each nozzle has a regulator for varying the area of the corresponding nozzle oPening to achieve multi-color reproduction of the image. 